Sacrifice
by JolinarJackson
Summary: What if Tommy was Jack's son?
1. Chapter 1

**Sacrifice**

_Word Count: ~ _6.600

_Summary:_ What if Tommy was Jack's son? (Prompt by bookworm89)

_Characters:_ Jack Harkness, Tommy Brockless, Ianto Jones, Toshiko Sato, Constance Brockless, Gerald Carter, Thomas Brockless Sr.

_Pairing: _Jack/Ianto, Toshiko/Tommy Brockless, Jack/Constance Brockless, Jack/Lucia Moretti (implied), Jack/Michael Bellini (implied), Jack/Greg Bishop (implied), Jack/Estelle Cole (implied), Jack/OMC (implied)

_Rating:_ R

_Spoiler: To The Last Man_ / the tiniest reference to _**Miracle Day**_ (Jack in the 1920s)

_Setting:_ Pre-series and during _To The Last Man_

_Warnings: _Canon Character Death

_Author's Note: _Written for bookworm89 who requested a story on torchwood_fest that showed Jack and Tommy as father and son. I've never even considered that possibility, so it was a wonderful thought to experiment with. I hope this is what you wanted.

_Beta:_ Eleanor Harkness-Jones, thanks.

_Disclaimer: _I'm not making money with this fanfic. The tv-show _Torchwood _and the characters appearing within it belong to their producers and creators. Any similarities to living or dead persons are purely coincidental and not intended.

xxx

**1.**

Ianto knew Jack better than he knew himself, sometimes.

When they landed in bed together after that passionate, but rather unexpected, kiss that had stolen Jack's breath, he noticed how Ianto encouraged him with gentle touches and breathy moans, with the tightening of his legs around Jack's waist and the soft words panted against Jack's lips… he encouraged him, asked him, demanded, allowed and accepted Jack to be the dominant one tonight. Somehow knowing that Jack needed this in light of another loss he would be responsible for. He was the leader of Torchwood Three and he would send Tommy to his death in just a few hours… and it hurt so much. It hurt enough to bruise Ianto's wrists from holding them down, to leave bites that almost broke Ianto's skin, to take all he needed from Ianto and more. And in the aftermath, with Ianto lying curled up next to him in Jack's narrow camp bed and Jack's arms clasped around him as if he was afraid Ianto would vanish, Jack finally broke.

Ianto wiped away tears and kissed away sobs and he waited until Jack had calmed down a bit before he asked, "This isn't just some boy you barely know being sent back in time, right?"

Jack shook his head. "I know Tommy. I really..." He took a deep breath, forced away a new onslaught of tears. "I really _know_ Tommy. I was there every time he woke up in the last decades. I spent most of his time awake with him."

Ianto shifted around so that he could rest his head on Jack's pillow. His hand caressed Jack's cheek, calloused fingertips brushing over stubbly skin. "I'm sorry you have to do this."

Jack closed his eyes, breathing in the scent of Ianto, so much more powerful in the aftermath of sex. "There's no way around it. We have to send him back. I know that, but..."

"You'll lose a friend," Ianto whispered. "Again."

"He's not just a friend," Jack answered and opened his eyes again to look at Ianto earnestly. "He's my son."

xxx

_1893_

_Jack knew that he wanted her the minute he entered the restaurant of the Park Hotel and saw her sitting at one of the tables, sipping wine. She'd chosen a corner table away from the busier parts of the restaurants, safely tucked away near the window front. It was obvious that she didn't want anyone to notice her, but Jack did. The last three decades on this planet – in this time – hadn't dulled his senses for the extraordinary. And she was quite a sight to behold with her dark, curly hair framing a delicate face and bright blue eyes. Her blue dress was simple, but it accentuated her slender waist and long legs._

_Jack was led to a table near her and took a seat that allowed him to keep an eye on her while not being too obvious about it. He settled in with a scotch and cake to wait and see if she was alone or maybe waiting for someone, but nobody came._

_Jack knew that women able to afford this hotel weren't easy to charm, used to beautiful things and compliments. He hadn't planned on any kind of company tonight, either. In fact, just half an hour ago, he'd been convinced that, after his craving for the excellent cake they made here was satisfied, he'd retire to his room alone. But now, he felt drawn to that beautiful woman sitting all alone amidst soft lights, the upper class of Cardiff and guests residing in this hotel._

_So he ordered another scotch for himself and a white wine for the lady. He watched her reaction when the waiter served her the drink and indicated Jack as the one paying for it. She looked insecure, but managed a polite smile in his direction._

_Jack took that as a good sign, got up from his chair and approached her with a smile. He stopped next to her table and indicated a bow. "You looked so lonely sitting here, so I took the liberty," he said._

_"That was unnecessary, really, but…" She raised the glass. "Thank you."_

_"May I sit while you wait for your companion?"_

_Her face saddened. "I'm here alone."_

_So he'd been right. "That's a shame," he said sincerely. "A beautiful woman like you all alone." She blushed. He sat down. Seeing that she was apparently not sending him away, he got a bit more comfortable in the plush chair. "So, what brings you to Cardiff?" he asked._

_"I live here."_

_He raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You do? Your accent isn't Welsh, though." And he should know. He loved the Welsh accent and would be able to identify it anywhere._

_"Oh, I was born and raised in Manchester. My husband and I moved here because he got a promotion at work."_

_Jack suppressed a stab of disappointment. "You have a husband."_

_She sipped her wine. "Yes."_

_"You're not wearing a ring, though," he said. She avoided his eyes carefully. Jack asked, "He's not here with you?"_

_"No, he's at home." Her voice was cold and distant now._

_"Why aren't you?"_

_She sipped her wine again and seemed to think about if she should tell Jack more about her life. In the end, she seemed to decide that he was trustworthy enough. "I removed the ring for a few days, because I'm not sure if I still want to be married to him. And I'm here because he didn't take too kindly to me coming home early from my visit to my parents and finding him in bed with his secretary."_

_Jack raised his eyebrows in surprise. "His secretary?"_

_She nodded._

_"How awful," Jack sympathized._

_"I just… left and came here. I need time to think."_

_"Understandable."_

_For a few moments, silence spread over them, but it wasn't uncomfortable. It enveloped them like a warm blanket. They clicked. Jack just knew that she was for him._

_Finally, she cleared her throat. "What are you doing here?"_

_"I'm here on business," he said, stretching the truth. Since he'd landed here on Earth roughly thirty years ago, he'd kept himself above water by running small cons and taking on occasional jobs. At the moment, he was living from the money his last con had brought him, and living well. He raised his eyebrows. "Your husband clearly has lost his mind," he said. That brought a smile to her face. He grinned right back and held out his hand. "I'm Captain Jack Harkness."_

_"Captain," she said and her eyes widened in delight._

_"Former Captain, to be precise, ma'am," Jack answered._

_She took his hand. "I'm Constance… Constance Brockless."_

_"Well, Constance Brockless, do you like to dance?"_

_"I love dancing."_

_"There's a ball in this hotel tonight and it's open for guests. Would you give me the honour of accompanying me?" he asked. Constance seemed torn between the knowledge that going dancing with a stranger even though she was married was highly inappropriate and her wish not to care about it. Jack decided to give her a little push in the right direction. He winked at her. "Just because your husband isn't enjoying life with you doesn't mean that no one else should."_

_That brought on another blush and she nodded hesitantly. "Alright, Captain. One dance," she said, "and then it's farewell. Because I am an honourable woman."_

_They got up and Jack put an arm around her waist. "Oh, I know that you are. My intentions are pure."_

_Three hours, several dances and more wine later, they managed to get into Jack's room before devouring each other with kisses and falling into bed, their limbs tangled. The next morning, they awoke next to each other and Constance smiled._

xxx

_It went on for three days. Jack enjoyed their time together immensely. Constance was smart and funny and under those neat dresses and the well-behaved manner, he found a woman who challenged, seduced and intrigued him. But it didn't last._

_When he knocked on Constance's door on the third evening of their acquaintance, a man in a suit and with a clean-shaved face opened. He frowned. "Can I help you?"_

_Jack recovered quickly from his surprise and smiled. "I'm looking for Mrs. Brockless."_

_"I'm her husband," the man answered and his frown deepened. "And who are you?"_

_Before Jack could answer, Constance appeared behind her husband and put a hand on his shoulder. Jack couldn't help but notice her wedding band was back on her finger. She said, "This is Captain Harkness, darling. He noticed that I seemed to be alone here and took it upon himself to check up on me every once in a while."_

_Jack inclined his head in confirmation._

_Brockless seemed sceptical, but then he nodded. "Thank you, Captain."_

_"It was my pleasure," Jack answered. He looked at Constance. "Does that mean that you will leave, ma'am?"_

_Constance's eyes betrayed her disappointment about that for only a second, but then she pasted on a smile and nodded. "My husband and I will be moving back to Manchester in a matter of days, sir. And I will go home with him tonight. Thank you for your kind attention."_

_Jack inclined his head. "I hope we'll meet again."_

_"I don't think we will, unfortunately," Constance answered. Jack knew that if Constance wouldn't have wanted to stay with her husband, she would have given him a sign. But apparently, they had resolved their issues. Maybe moving back to Manchester was their way of starting anew. He wouldn't stand in the way of that. So he just nodded, smiled at them and turned to leave._

xxx

Ianto's eyes were almost dark in the dim light of Jack's bedroom. By now, Jack was leaning back against the wall, a pillow in his back, and Ianto had arranged himself between Jacks legs, his head on a pillow on Jack's thigh so that he could look up at him. Jack saw him shiver slightly and pulled the duvet higher to cover Ianto's chest.

Ianto asked, "You didn't know that she was pregnant?"

Jack shook his head.

Ianto raised his arm to caress Jack's cheek. "How did you find out then?"

xxx

_1918_

_"Jack," Torchwood Three leader Gerald Carter said as soon as Jack entered the Hub, waving him closer with a file in his hand._

_Jack took a moment to admire the suit Gerald was wearing – obviously new and perfectly fitting his frame – then he answered, "Yes." He held up the heavy bag in his hand. "Got them all. Even though I have to admit, it was a bit tricky. But nothing my charm can't conquer."_

_Gerald smiled fondly. "As usual." Then he said, "I wanted to show you something." He headed for the med bay. For a second, Jack thought that something had happened, somebody was hurt, but Gerald was smiling, so he squashed that thought quickly._

_He followed him into the med bay and down into the well of the room. Nobody was here, all the instruments and the autopsy table clean and unused, so Jack wondered what Gerald would show him._

_Gerald said, "You won't believe what happened a few days ago. We had a spike at St. Teilo's Hospital. Serious activity, Jack. And we actually…" He turned around to Jack with a wide-eyed, fascinated look. "…actually saw time travellers."_

_"Time travellers?" Jack echoed. He thought of the Doctor and Rose or – though he didn't hope for it – fellow time agents. "What kind of time travellers?"_

_"A boy and a girl. The girl seemed to be Asian, the boy was British. And now, imagine this." Gerald walked around the autopsy table and put his hands on his hips. "They instructed us to put a patient in the hospital in cryo. The boy himself. So that he can come back in time and stop what was happening to the Rift. And just a few minutes later, while we were leaving the building, the Rift activity stopped. Apparently, it could have ripped the world apart – at least that's what Harriet says – but the future version of the boy seemed to have managed to stop it."_

_Jack's eyebrows raised. "You're joking."_

_"No." Gerald opened a drawer installed in the wall and pulled the cryo chamber out. Jack looked through the small window embedded in the top and saw a boy in it – in his 20s, cute, if a bit geeky. "We have to store him here until the time is right and then, when it is, he will travel back in time and stop the Rift here from splintering."_

_"Wow!" Jack said, staring at the boy. "Who's he then?"_

_"Tommy Brockless," Gerald said. Jack raised an eyebrow. Gerald handed him the file. "A boy from Manchester. Went to war, ended up with shell-shock."_

_Jack grimaced and opened the folder. "I know what that is. Awful."_

_Gerald nodded. Jack read the file and froze._

_**Parents: Thomas Brockless and Constance Brockless (born Bassett)**_

_Manchester. And Tommy was born in 1894._

_The pieces came together. Jack swallowed._

_Gerald turned to leave, thankfully leaving Jack alone with Tommy. There was no reason to assume that Tommy was his son, but Jack had never been one to believe in coincidence. February 1894 was almost nine months after his and Constance's affair. He looked towards the entrance of the med bay, but nobody was coming to join him. So he quickly opened the cryo chamber and activated his wrist strap. Every time agent had their DNA code in their wrist strap. It made identification after nasty accidents much easier. Aside from that, they could always scan their vicinity to avoid running into a future – or past – self. Jack had been to Earth several times already, for missions and for leisure, and the wrist strap actually had helped him once to avoid what he assumed was a future version of himself in the Brecon Beacons. He really couldn't wait to find out what he was doing there._

_The wrist strap gave a low beep, informing Jack that there was no one matching his exact DNA profile, but that there was someone here who had part of his genes – the boy. "Damn!" Jack muttered._

xxx

Softly, Ianto asked, "You knew all this time?"

Jack nodded and swallowed. He'd never before told anyone about this. Not even Lucia.

Ianto looked at him quietly for a few moments. "So, what are you going to do now?"

"What can I do? Nothing. He's going to go back to his time tomorrow and I can't stop him. They are going to kill him but I can't stop that, either. I wish I didn't know what happens when you disrupt the time line, but I do and it's too dangerous to even consider changing anything. I'm not stopping his own men from shooting him because of _cowardice_ just because they don't understand shell-shock." He looked at Ianto miserably. "What kind of a father am I? I should tear this world apart for him. Instead I'm sending him to his death. It's a wonder he doesn't hate me."

Ianto's eyes widened. "So he knows who you are?"

Jack took a deep breath. "He found out."


	2. Chapter 2

**2.**

Tommy Brockless wasn't a special man. He had never been very good at school or with girls and he hadn't even been a very good soldier, or he wouldn't have ended up in that hospital because of shell-shock – which was just a nice way of saying that he was a coward, really. But then again, he would have never met his real father if all of that hadn't happened. So he was kind of glad it did.

Toshiko shifted in her sleep, cuddling closer to him, her warm skin brushing his, their naked bodies entwining even further. Tommy traced a careful hand down her back and then up again, around to where the swell of her breast started. Tonight had been his first time and Toshiko had made it everything it should be. He'd felt like such an awkward fool, fumbling and trembling, but Toshiko hadn't minded that. She was wonderful, beautiful, she was his, just for tonight… because tomorrow, he would go back to his own time and all this would end. Tommy was scared. He was nothing like his father who seemed to be able to walk into any danger with a smile on his face: the great Captain Jack Harkness who was anything but a coward, anything but awkward, anything but _Tommy_. Who had been there for him. Every single time Tommy awoke. In the years he didn't know who he really was and in the years after he found out. Always.

Just like that first time.

xxx

_1919_

_It was like waking up from a long, deep sleep. Tommy slowly opened his eyes and found four people staring at him curiously. There was Gerald Carter. He knew Gerald from the hospital. And next to him, another familiar face: Harriet Derbyshire. The team's doctor was different, though. Douglas Caldwell was gone, the man with the stethoscope and the dark frown on the freckled face was a stranger to Tommy. As was the fourth team member – a man wearing a white shirt, dark trousers and a strange bracelet made from leather. He was the kind of guy the girls liked: tall, handsome, athletic, sky-blue eyes and dark hair._

_Gerald smiled at Tommy. "Welcome back! Remember, you've got twenty-four hours before we put you to sleep again. Aside from some tests, it's up to you what you want to do in that time, but Captain Harkness," and he nodded at the handsome man, "has offered to keep an eye on you and to show you around."_

_And that was that._

_The day was rather uneventful, because not much had changed in that one year. Nevertheless, Tommy was a bit overwhelmed by everything and didn't quite know what to do. So Harkness took the initiative, accompanied him into the shops and invited him to dinner and offered his couch as a place to sleep._

_His flat was small, neat – which fit, he was a military man after all –, but impersonal. "I'm away a lot," Harkness explained. "Freelance agent means that I'm the one doing the travelling while the team stays in Cardiff." He told Tommy where he'd been: Africa, India, Italy, France, Spain, Germany and America. Most of the places Tommy had only ever seen on a map._

_They parted as friends the next day. Tommy went to sleep in his drawer and Jack was there when he woke up the next time._

xxx

_1928_

_The years went by. Tommy struggled with how fast everything seemed to change. The team was different almost every time he woke up. People died or left and new ones came. The only constant in all of this was Jack. He was always there, and even though he changed too, at least Tommy had someone to turn to._

_Jack was a mystery. Sometimes, he was happy and all smiles, ready to listen to Tommy and to take him out wherever he wanted to go. But other times, like today, he was broody and quiet and Tommy didn't quite know what to make of that. They went to a pub and Jack drank a bit more than he should in Tommy's opinion. By eleven, Tommy left Jack to his own devices._

_It was almost two in the morning now and Tommy lay on the couch in the darkened living room of the flat Jack had moved into a few weeks ago. He listened to Jack stumbling in through the front door and straight to the kitchen. Apparently, Jack hadn't stopped drinking after Tommy had left. Nevertheless, he was considerate enough to close the kitchen door before he started pottering around loudly. Tommy was worried. He'd never seen Jack in such a bad state._

_Since Jack had always made a point of being there for him, Tommy decided he should return the favour. He got up and knocked on the kitchen door. The noises inside stopped and Tommy took that as a permission to enter._

_The kitchen was dimly lit and Jack in his dishevelled shirt and the creased trousers looked miserable. He spared Tommy a quick glance. "Sorry for waking you," he muttered and sat down at the table with a bottle of scotch and a tumbler. A box sat on the table in front of him. It was made of metal and looked quite new. Jack poured himself a glass of scotch and swallowed its contents in one go._

_"You should maybe slow down a bit," Tommy suggested._

_"Why? Don't have to work tomorrow and I never wake up with a hangover anyway."_

_"But it's not healthy."_

_Jack laughed. "Oh, don't worry about me." He opened the box with clumsy fingers._

_Tentatively, Tommy stepped closer. "You've been in a strange mood all day. What's going on?"_

_Jack shrugged. "Just had a bad kind of week."_

_"Your trip to America?"_

_Jack frowned and his fingers brushed over whatever was hidden in the box. "Might as well have been a trip to hell." He didn't elaborate and Tommy didn't dare to ask. He sat down, waiting patiently._

_After a few minutes of silence, Jack said, "Nothing good stays with me. Lost lovers, lost children… my brother. I lose friends all the time."_

_Tommy slid his chair closer to Jack and peeked into the box. Drawings. Pictures. Showing people. Men and women. And one drawing of a boy with shaggy hair posing in front of a strange-looking city on a beach. To both sides of him stood two adults – his parents maybe._

_"This is my life," Jack said. "A box full of pictures." He shifted some of them around with trembling fingers and then put his head in his hands as if he was losing the fight against tears._

_Tommy looked at the photograph that had been exposed: a tall, dark-haired woman with the most beautiful blue eyes and a gentle smile._

_Before Tommy could stop himself, he whispered, "That's my mum."_

_"Lost your mum, too," Jack muttered and then drank straight from the bottle. He laughed mirthlessly. "And here you are after all these years, completely by coincidence. Life's strange, sometimes."_

_Tommy frowned and took the picture. "How did you know her?"_

_"Cardiff, 1893." Jack smiled gently, lost in memories._

_Tommy just felt nauseous. "She was just a friend, right?" Because his parents had already been married in 1893. Sure, he knew that his father had strayed more than once, but his mother would never… would she? _

_Jack seemed to sober suddenly. He looked startled, almost, and even though he hurriedly said "Just a friend", Tommy knew that wasn't the truth. _

_"Oh God," he muttered. "You…" He got up. "And you knew all this time! You knew that she's my mother! How could you not tell me?"_

_"It's complicated. It was just three days. Just-"_

_"What other secrets are you keeping from me?" Tommy asked. Jack bit his lip and looked away. Tommy yelled, "I want to know!"_

_Jack got up with a stumble, now clearly angry himself. "We were together eight months before you were born, Tommy! Do the math!"_

_Tommy took a step back, shaking his head in disbelief. "Oh no! You don't get to tell me that."_

_"It's true!"_

_"It's not." But it was. He'd heard his parents fight when he was in bed and his mother had discovered that his father d cheated on her – yet again. Tommy had heard him yelling **"You don't have any right to judge me, Constance. Because that boy upstairs may not even be my son."** She'd always promised that Tommy was, **"Please, believe me"**… Tommy had never doubted her until this moment. "You bastard!" he hissed. "And you knew all this time?"_

_Jack's shoulders slumped. "I found out when they put you in cryo."_

_It was too much, all of it. Tommy had to get out, get some air, get away from **that man**. He turned away._

_"Tommy-"_

_"No!" he answered, whirling around to Jack and pointing an accusing finger at him. "I don't want to hear it. Leave me alone. Don't talk to me ever again." He left the flat after hurriedly picking up his trousers, shoes and shirt and returned to the Hub. He didn't see Jack again that year._

xxx

_1929_

_Tommy saw Jack when he woke up. Jack probably didn't want him to, but the lingering shadow in the entrance to the med bay was definitely him. And even though Tommy was determined never to speak to him again, during the day, he realised that he missed him. He missed his easy companionship and the way he seemed to know what Tommy was going through. That was why, in the evening, Tommy turned up at Jack's flat. When Jack opened the door, he was only wearing a loose pair of trousers and his hair was tousled. He stared at Tommy as if he couldn't quite believe he was there._

_"Can I come in?" Tommy asked hesitantly._

_Jack nodded and opened the door wider._

_"Did I wake you?" Tommy asked and walked to stand in the middle of the small living room. It was still as impersonal as the last time he'd been here. It made Tommy's heart ache to see proof of Jack's loneliness._

_Jack closed the door and crossed his arms. His eyes flitted towards the bedroom before settling on him again. "No, don't worry about it."_

_Tommy shoved his hands in his pockets. "I'm sorry," he said. "I shouldn't have pushed you away."_

_"You had your reasons. It would've been better if you hadn't found out."_

_Tommy's eyes widened. "No! Really, that's… well, it's not okay, but it's… right. I should know things like that. I was… a bit overwhelmed, that is all. My parents weren't very happy with each other and this is… kind of proof."_

_Jack sighed deeply. "You should know that I don't regret what happened between Constance and me. I don't regret that you came out of it. I just regret not having known sooner. I missed all the important things in your life."_

_Tommy smiled slightly. "Well, I'd say that being frozen to be woken up every year and then one day save the world from being ripped apart is quite important."_

_Jack laughed. "You're right," he muttered._

_"I don't want to lose your friendship."_

_"That's good, since I don't want to lose yours, either."_

_Tommy swallowed. "And I don't want to wake up one year and find you gone without you knowing how important you are to me. You're practically… all I have left."_

_"I won't go anywhere," Jack answered quietly._

_"One day you will. They all do," Tommy said softly. "Every time I wake up I find someone gone and someone new in their place."_

_"Won't happen with me." Jack looked solemnly at him and took a deep breath. "I can't die."_

_Tommy stared at him, then he laughed. "Don't be silly."_

_"I'm not. Something happened to me and now I can't die. I've been on Earth since 1869. Originally, I come from outer space, another world, even another time. The future. How I ended up here is a long story and maybe I can tell you next time you wake up. But… I can't die… ever apparently."_

_Tommy stared at him. "Impossible!"_

_"You should know that it isn't. You've seen Torchwood. You've seen what we're dealing with." It sounded incredible, but somehow, Tommy felt that what Jack was telling was the truth. "That's why I moved into a new flat last year. I was living in the other one for ten years and since I don't age, people started to notice that I don't change. I had to get away from there."_

_Tommy was still stunned. "That's… my father is immortal. My father is an immortal alien from the future outer space!"_

_Jack laughed. "I'm human, don't worry about that. Well… mostly human." He winked at Tommy and Tommy found himself grin._

_Suddenly, a male voice came from the bedroom, "Jack? Are you coming?" Seconds later, a tall, dark-haired man appeared in the bedroom door. He was naked and didn't seem the least bit ashamed about it, even when he noticed Tommy. "I'm waiting," he said._

_Jack smiled at him. "I'll be right with you."_

_"Looking forward to it." the man said with a wink and went back to the bedroom._

_Tommy let the implications of what he'd just witnessed sink in. "Oh!" was all he could say._

_"Yes." Jack suddenly seemed a bit tentative. "I hope that's not a problem for you."_

_Tommy released a breath and thought about that for a moment, remembered the disgusted way his father had always talked about "those men", remembered his friends making jokes about boys who liked the musical theatre … and found that he didn't care. "After everything you've told me tonight?" he asked. "I don't think so."_

_Jack smiled happily. "Well, I'm afraid I've got to go and send someone home, now. Wait for me here. We can talk some more."_

_Tommy nodded._

xxx

The next years were almost a blur. There and then gone again with Tommy only ever experiencing twenty-four hours of each of them.

The city changed: new, modern buildings were built and then replaced by even more modern buildings; the bay changed dramatically and became a meeting place with restaurants and pubs and small shops and – last but not least – the Millennium Centre.

The people changed: breaking out of the stiff conventions established over decades and becoming rebels, then settling into new conventions.

And Jack, he changed too: Tommy saw many lovers come and go, saw or heard about those who really meant something to Jack (poor Greg, poor Michael and poor Estelle) and he spent three wonderful evenings sitting down at a table for dinner with Lucia and Melissa, then one year alone with Jack, the shadows of his lost family clinging to his father.

Then, in 2000, Jack was a lonely fighter, not even a team to back him up and too much alcohol in the cupboards of his office. It stayed that way for quite some time, until Tommy was woken up and looked into the smiling face of Suzie Costello and saw a shy man lingering in the shadows who introduced himself as Ben Brown. But Ben was gone soon, and in his stead came Owen Harper and Toshiko Sato and Ianto Jones.

And now, Tommy was lying here, the weight of decades he'd barely lived in on his shoulders, and it would end tomorrow. Tomorrow, he would stop whatever was happening to the Rift. And he would never see his father or Toshiko again. He pulled her closer and buried his face in her hair.


	3. Chapter 3

**3.**

It was so subtle that Tommy didn't notice it at first. But after spending the night with Toshiko, things became clearer. He felt a bit stupid for not seeing it immediately, but there it was: Jack and Ianto exchanging secret smiles and subtle touches. Tommy noticed because he and Toshiko were doing exactly the same. He felt happy for Jack who had been alone for so long. And, also, oddly comforted by the thought that Jack would have someone when Tommy was gone. So it didn't really come as a surprise when Jack called Tommy in his office and told him that Ianto knew about them. He suspected that Jack thought he would be mad at him for telling Ianto without talking to Tommy first, but Tommy didn't mind.

Jack said, "We can tell the rest of the team, if you want."

Tommy shook his head.

"Just Tosh then?" Jack asked.

Tommy thought about hat for a moment, but, again, shook his head. "No. You can tell her later but I want …" He took a deep breath. "She would want me to spend these last few hours with you, but I want…" He hesitated, not sure if it would hurt Jack to hear this. "I want them to be about us."

Jack nodded in understanding and smiled indulgently. "Okay. Then go. Make it about the both of you."

"You don't mind?" Tommy asked, hesitating.

Jack shook his head and said softly, "I had you all those years."

"And it means a lot for me that you were there," Tommy answered just as softly. "I never thanked you for it."

"You just did."

Tommy smiled and headed for the door. He stopped just before opening it and looked back at Jack who was sitting behind his desk thoughtfully.

"Dad," he said, trying the word out, and Jack looked up sharply. "Thank you for letting me do this. I've never done anything special and I… I feel like this will be the only thing in my life I will ever do right."

"I know the feeling," Jack said with a nod. "And I'm so proud."

Tommy smiled and left. The main Hub was oddly quiet. The team was there and working but all of them very aware of what the day would bring.

On his way to Tosh's workstation, Tommy passed Ianto who was serving everyone coffee. Ianto gave him a gentle smile. "Can I get you anything?" he asked.

"No, thanks," Tommy muttered.

Ianto nodded and turned to head for Jack's office, but Tommy grabbed his arm, making the mugs on the tray rattle. Confused, Ianto looked at him.

"Just…" Tommy hesitated, then whispered, "Take care of him. He gets lonely."

"Yes, I know." Ianto smiled. "I will."

xxx

Jack had never felt that rejected by Tosh. After they left the hospital, she refused to talk to him. She'd never been like this with him, not even after what had happened with Mary. Feeling tired and emotionally sore himself, Jack sent the team home early. Ianto refused to go, of course, and managed to get Jack to eat something with quiet persistence and tender smiles and touches. When Jack decided that he had to go and talk to Tosh, it was already late. Ianto drove him and sent him off with a soft kiss before huddling in the driver's seat to wait.

When Toshiko opened the door to her flat, she only wear tracksuit bottoms and a ratty t-shirt. Her hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail, her eyes red-rimmed and tears drying on her cheeks.

Jack pasted on a hesitant smile. "Hey," he said softly. "How are you holding up?"

She sighed. "I'm not." She left the door open and turned away.

Jack took that as an invitation and followed her into her living room, where she curled up on the couch huddled under a blanket. There were print-outs on her coffee table, copies of papers Jack had looked at himself just half an hour ago back in the Hub before Ianto had taken them away.

Before he knew it, he repeated what Ianto had said to him, "You shouldn't look at these."

The death certificate, the report on several soldiers executed for cowardice, one of the names: Tommy Brockless.

She answered, "Maybe not."

"Can I sit down for a minute?"

Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. "I really don't want to talk to you right now."

Jack ducked his head. "I understand." He didn't have the energy to fight, not really, and turned to go.

Tosh's hesitant voice stopped him at the door. "There must have been another way. If we would have looked harder-"

"There was no other way," Jack answered and turned back around to face her. "Believe me, if I would have known of one, I would have gladly done everything in my might to keep Tommy here. But there was no other way. It had to end like this."

"That's easy for you to say," Tosh whispered. "Since you already sacrificed a lot of people including a little girl without second thought, just because you decided that it was necessary."

Jack felt tears gather in his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. "That's unfair. I always do everything I can to help. There's just is no other way sometimes." His breathing hitched treacherously and Tosh's sad eyes looked up at him when he said, "I'm sorry that it had to be this way. I would've done everything to stop this from happening. But there are just things I can't change. No matter how much I want to." He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry for your loss, Toshiko. I know how easy it is to point the finger at someone, but sometimes, there's just no one to blame."

She sobbed. He hesitated for a moment, then he returned to the couch and sat down next to her to pull her in his arms. To his relief, she clung to him until her sobs lessened and her tears stopped.

Jack held her until her breaths had evened out, then he laid her down on the couch and spread the blanket over her. He kissed her forehead and left.

xxx

"How is she?" Ianto asked when Jack got into the SUV's passenger seat.

Jack stared out the wind shield. "Not good."

Ianto's fingers curled around Jack's and squeezed gently. "Did you tell her?"

"No." He sighed deeply. "I'm not sure I ever will. It would only make things worse. Make her despise me even more than she already does." He rubbed the fingers of his free hand over his lips. "I don't want to make all these sacrifices."

"I know."

"Yet I have to," Jack continued. A sudden thought struck him, a thought he suppressed most of the time but that always came back to haunt him. He looked at Ianto. "Someday, I'll lose you like I lost him. To something that I need you to do."

"Maybe." Ianto's fingers entwined with Jack's, squeezing just that bit harder in reassurance. "But if you need me to, I will gladly do it, no matter what the cost."

Jack put a hand on Ianto's cheek and kissed him softly. "And that's what scares me the most."

END

11/11


End file.
